


The Warmth of the Heart

by radieoactive



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Bianca and Thalia have not joined the hunters yet, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Light Angst, Minor Violence, Original Character Death(s), Pre - The Titan's Curse, Sort of Graphic Violence, Zoe and artemis get together at the end, zartemis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-18
Updated: 2014-07-18
Packaged: 2018-02-09 09:17:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1977396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radieoactive/pseuds/radieoactive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Zoë first became a hunter, she knew she wouldn't have a relationship for a long, long time.</p><p>Of course, that already came in the terms and conditions—but hunters could easily break their oaths just as easily as they made them. There were loopholes to the whole thing, anyway.</p><p>But in Zoë's precious, armored heart, she knew she didn't want a relationship. She didn't want to be that girl again, the girl who got their heart broken, the girl who had to flee from her home. That path was forbidden. Not by any of Artemis' golden rules, but by her own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Warmth of the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the awesome [silenhabeauregard](http://silenhabeauregard.tumblr.com) on Tumblr!
> 
> Bianca and Thalia have not joined the hunters yet. This is pre The Titan's Curse, so Zoe has not died either.
> 
> Enjoy!

When Zoë first became a hunter, she knew she wouldn't have a relationship for a long, long time.

 

Of course, that already came in the terms and conditions—but hunters could easily break their oaths just as easily as they made them. There were loopholes to the whole thing, anyway.

 

But in Zoë's precious, armored heart, she knew she didn't _want_ a relationship. She didn't want to be _that_ girl again, the girl who got their heart broken, the girl who had to flee from her home. That path was forbidden. Not by any of Artemis' golden rules, but by her own.

 

Of course, she would break it anyway.

 

–

 

Usually on cold nights after the hunters just finished a kill everyone would retreat into the comfort of their tents—Zoë liked to snuggle up with a few pelts and maybe a cup of hot cocoa—but today seemed different enough.

 

Zoë thumbed the leather strap attached to her quiver. On her gloves were little shards of ice, melting just barely by the warmth of her hands. She turned her hands into fists, opening them up again, and repeating the process. Zoë was always a fiddler like that.

 

One of the hunters next to her tapped on her shoulder lightly. “Lady Artemis says to collect more firewood for the night,” she says, her voice tender and sweet. Zoë nods for a moment and gets up.

 

“Yes. Certainly.”

 

The trees around their campfire seem to dance.

 

–

 

Two other hunters accompany Zoë in their quest to find firewood, and both of them are no where near her in doing so. For a moment Zoë freaks.

 

Zoë's protective like that. She likes being the one to take care of them anyways, it makes her feel like she has a role in what she does. In reality she knows she doesn't but it's not like she cares.

 

Sometimes Artemis tells her that she's too hard on herself. That someone needs to protect her, too, that maybe it's time to _find_ that person.

 

Zoë knows Artemis isn't pushing her to leave, or better yet break the oath, but she sure feels like that's what's happening.

 

Zoë wants to find that person. Zoë _needs_ that person. She wants to feel protected and loved and she doesn't know who will fill that.

 

Melody, the hunter Zoë was talking to just a minute ago, calls both Zoë and the other hunter with them to her. Hastily Zoë walks to the girl, and Melody turns around to her footsteps and in her arms are pieces of firewood.

 

The smile on the girl's face practically makes Zoë smile too.

 

“I found a tree that fell down,” she explains, “and I cut it up.”

 

Behind them the other hunter steps up. It's Phoebe. She's covered in snow, and by the way she's shivering Zoë can tell that quite a bit of it got into her outfit.

 

Melody looks startled for a moment, but she drops her firewood and heads right over to the other girl. “Let's go back to Lady Artemis,” she says, and Phoebe agrees.

 

Zoë is now alone in the woods.

 

The first thing she does is pick up the firewood Melody dropped, and then some. Around her the sounds of swaying trees and the howling wind fills her ears.

 

Snow is glistening around her. The moonlight isn't that bright, but it lights up Zoë's way perfectly—and Zoë can tell Artemis is helping somehow.

 

The walk back to the campsite is short.

 

–

 

When Zoë gets back, Melody and Phoebe aren't in sight. Most of the hunters are gathered around a small flame, and Zoë dumps the firewood next to the fire. One of the hunters picks up a few pieces and deposits them into the fire.

 

Zoë and Artemis are sitting directly across from each other. Artemis' eyes are glowing, not in a scary way, but in a way that makes her seem almost _alluring_. Zoë stops herself, sitting still, hands folded neatly on her lap.

 

Artemis smiles.

 

“How was your trip, Zoë?” she asks. Zoë swallows.

 

“Fine, my lady,” The fire crackles and sparks are flying around, and a couple of ashes taint Zoë's silver clothes. She wipes it off only for them to spread.

 

Artemis brings a cup of hot cocoa—or tea, maybe, Zoë can't tell—to her lips, and she sips gingerly. “Please, treat yourself to a drink. We've all worked hard and it's only fair.”

 

Zoë agrees. The hunter next to her, a small girl named Alexandria, hands her a Thermos. Zoë takes it in her hands and she feels the warmth of the drink warm her palms up.

 

After a few sips of her drink, Artemis asks the hunters if they would pass out dinner, and all of them oblige eagerly. Pork, beef, and chicken is rationed out along with some other customary Greek celebratory food.

 

The hunters look merry, Zoë notices, and it seems as if Artemis does too. The goddess watches them with glazed eyes.

 

Ruffling from a tent is heard and Melody comes out with Phoebe next to her. Phoebe's parka is replaced with a fuzzy, fur-filled jacket, and she's wearing warm gloves to go along with her new outfit. Melody says something to Phoebe that Zoë can't hear.

 

Zoë watches the two as they make their way to the campfire. A spot to sit is made for them by the time they get there.

 

Melody rubs Phoebe's back and the girl flinches, and Melody pulls back in a hurry. Zoë doesn't even have time to figure out what's wrong before she finds herself next to both of the girls.

 

“What is the problem, dear Phoebe?” Zoë asks, putting on her best sympathetic face. Phoebe shrugs.

 

“I got cut when I was out getting wood,” Melody nods at this. She continues herself.

 

Phoebe looks to Melody as the other girl is talking. “Phoebe climbed up a tree to try and get wood, and she ended up injuring herself right as she fell,” Melody says, “she broke her fall in a pile of snow and came to us. I patched her up myself,”

 

Zoë looks surprised at this. Melody isn't one of the medics, so Zoë takes some time to figure things out before responding again. “Impressive,” is the only thing she says.

 

Zoë thinks to the day when Melody joined the hunters. She was just ten years old.

 

 _Possibly an Apollo child_ , Zoë thinks.

 

The night is filled with laughter as the day goes on.

 

–

 

Almost all of the hunters are early risers, so it doesn't take long for Zoë to wake up herself—at 5 am, she guesses, by the position of the sun. Dawn, maybe. Zoë can't tell that well; it's still winter and the sun comes up early just as it goes down.

 

The girls seem to be mid-morning routine as Zoë gets out of her tent, fully dressed. Zoë sees Alexandria and another hunter chatting away lazily as they drink hot beverages.

 

Other girls are walking around mindlessly, getting some socializing in before Artemis wakes up and sets their daily activities.

 

On a large plank of wood, supported by some logs, there is breakfast waiting for everybody. Zoë takes some fruits and a plate of food. Most of the girls had already ate, and so she decides to sit by herself before finishing up her meal.

 

By the time Artemis wakes up, emerging from her queen-sized tent, all the hunters are waiting patiently by a new, young campfire. Artemis sits down on a log, twisting her hair into an elaborate braid.

 

“Good morning, my hunters,” she says.

 

“Good morning,” the hunters repeat in unison, a few smiling and others trying to be as proper as possible.

 

Artemis grabs a Thermos and takes a big gulp from it. After that, the hunters are up to their usual antics, talking with one another, playing little hand games and whatnot.

 

“Aren't you going to tell them our schedule, Lady Artemis?” Zoë asks, but in her mind she really doesn't care whether or not Artemis wants to speak up. She's happy to rest.

 

“Indeed.” Artemis replies. She bangs on her Thermos, catching all the of the hunters' attention. “Hunters!”

 

Everyone looks over to Artemis. The goddess relaxes, her serious attitude returning. “Today three other hunters and I shall be off on a quest,”

 

A few gasps were made.

 

“There is a monster around the outskirts of a town. A powerful one, I think.”

 

Zoë looked to around, watching the other hunters with a stare. No one said anything.

 

“Arrangements for who will be going and who will stay will be made later. There shall be no panic. Continue with your activities, hunters.” Artemis banged on her Thermos again, and this time, most of the hunters trailed off.

 

Zoë and Melody were the only ones who stayed behind.

 

Artemis was about to wave both of them off when Zoë briskly walked up to her—and Artemis could tell it was not to kindly chat.

 

“Take me.” Zoë says, firmly. “The younger ones will stay here. Take me.”

 

“ _Zoë_ ,” Artemis pulls her down, enough so that Zoë is forced to sit next to her. “I will. But who do you think I will need to take also?”

 

Zoë stays silent.

 

“They are warriors, Zoë. They are ready.I am a _goddess_. This will be easy.”

 

“So you say,” says Zoë. “We pack tonight, correct?”

 

Artemis nods.

 

–

 

Packing takes longer than Zoë expected.

 

She gets together her items, which isn't much, considering how much they would need for a quest. Zoë has one bag; her quiver is slung over her shoulder and her bow carried gingerly with her free arm.

 

It takes about two hours for everyone else to get their required items.

 

When Artemis is done, she sets up her items to lean on a tree. There's her silver quiver, Zoë notices, and she has two extra bags—one looks like it could be holding medical items and the other looks like one of the enchanted tent bags they have. Zoë didn't even _think_ to bring one, so quickly, she hurries into her tent and grabs a spare.

 

Artemis hasn't told Zoë of the two other hunters who will be joining them. So she worries, twiddling her thumbs and playing with one of the strings from her snow jacket.

 

She hears rustling from behind her. Must be one of the tents—or, one of the girls.

 

There's footsteps now. Zoë can't tell whose they are and how many people they belong to.

 

At this moment, Zoë doesn't know why she's freaking out so much. She guesses it's her protective nature again, but really, she isn't sure.

 

Zoë thinks about the hunters. There's Melody, Phoebe, Alexandria, Marsha and Maria, Sarah...

 

In front of her, Artemis stands up. It's time.

 

Zoë gets up also, and her hands are cold—she realizes that there's no gloves on them. She reaches into her jacket pocket, struggling to find those _damned_ gloves—

 

“Zoë, my dear, will you turn around, please?”

 

It's Artemis' voice. Zoë nods, though Artemis only sees the back of her head, and Zoë spins around on her heel.

 

The first two things she sees are Alexandria. And Phoebe, who's smiling.

 

She swallows.

 

–

 

“My lady _Artemis_ ,” Zoë says, breathing hot air onto her hands to keep them warm. Just a minute ago she forgot to put on her gloves, and she sincerely regrets it.

 

Artemis grunts in response. Next to her are Alexandria and Phoebe, and they're chatting away about some kind of new bug they saw. Zoë continues.

 

“I know you chose these two for a reason. But why? Alexandria, my lady, is _ten years old_.”

 

“She is ready. Zoë, may I remind you that I am Artemis, goddess of the hunt, and that I am well in the head enough to make my _own_ decisions.” Artemis furrows her brows together.

 

Zoë knows not to push anymore, and she doesn't.

 

It's about 10 in the morning and all four hunters are walking calmly through the woods. Artemis says that the town is only a mile or two away, and there's no need for them to use her sleigh to ride through the night.

 

' _We'll be there by evening,_ ' Zoë mimics in her head, _Gods make mistakes too_ . _Lady Artemis, I hope this is not one._

 

–

 

By the time they get to the small town, it's already 6 pm, and by the looks of it, the town's already fretting.

 

Part of the woods are roped off, and there are animal control cars all around—some police ones, too—and Artemis says to get to work right away.

 

They all decide to hide behind the trees. Zoë starts to be thankful for their silver clothing, speaking as she couldn't tell the difference between a pile of snow and her jacket.

 

Immediately, they hear boots crunching branches nearby, and Artemis groups all of them together. Quickly, she knocks a few out, piling up their bodies near a tree. Artemis says they'll be safe there.

 

Distant growling is heard.

 

Phoebe is the first one to hear anything. She alerts Artemis, and with a bit of consideration, Artemis decides she wants all of them to split up.

 

Zoë freaks. “ _Lady_ , I—”

 

“Zoë, you will cooperate,” Artemis repositions herself and she holds a tighter grip on her bow. “You are _my_ hunter. This is what will happen.”

 

Again, Zoë knows not to push anymore.

 

–

 

The police and animal control are harder to get rid of than Zoë would like—she blames it on the sudden group split.

 

Zoë can almost feel the monster coming closer to them. After years of hunting, Zoë can tell just when a monster decides to show up. It's like a reflex, something she can't explain.

 

Just like that, all the police officers and animal control agents are gone. Zoë knows it's time.

 

The monster comes growling from a hill, its mouth wide open, eyes glowing red. Artemis quickly takes out her silver arrows, trying to stay at the sidelines for as long as possible before shooting at the animal.

 

Zoë is about to do the same when she notices Alexandria making her way to the monster. It's fighting Artemis right now, and Zoë already knows what Alexandria's about to do.

 

The girl shoots an arrow straight into his eye, and blood leaks out, causing a horrific scene of the animal struggling to remove the arrow. He claws, right at his eye, and Artemis takes this time to rush over to Alexandria.

 

She pushes the girl out of the way. The monster spins, looking for Alexandria, and instead he locks onto Artemis.

 

Zoë shoots an arrow. It hits the monster's leg, but it doesn't seemed fazed.

 

She tries again. This time she misses, and Zoë notices that the monster is getting more aggressive.

 

Zoë looks to Artemis, who's crouched down between a bush and a tree. It looks almost confused, with Zoë, Artemis, and Alexandria shooting arrows at it, and maybe even Phoebe too.

 

It decides to go after Alexandria.

 

She's running away, shooting at it simultaneously. Stupidly, Alexandria trips down, still pulling back an arrow in her bow.

 

The monster leans down, roaring and growling and clawing at the poor girl. She's cornered now, and before Zoë even knows what's happening, Artemis is at the monster's side trying to get Alexandria out and Phoebe's on a hill, shooting arrows from above.

 

Zoë's world goes blank.

 

Like it was a movie being filmed, everything in front of her moved without her doing anything. Zoë shot a couple arrows, but only two ended up hitting the monster. Artemis is yelling now.

 

Breaths of air come out of Zoë in little puffs. It's so cold that she can see them, and Zoë's not sure she likes that. She's not sure what's going on, anyways.

 

For some reason, her vision gets blurry. She can see blood now. Maybe from her arm, which she realized now had a fresh gash, or maybe from down below the hill where Artemis and Alexandria are.

 

Artemis is still yelling and Zoë's still not sure why.

 

Zoë looks below her and she can see Alexandria, shivering and cut up. Her silver jacket's in ruins and she has no more arrows. Her bow is next to her, but it does no good anyway.

 

Without thinking, Zoë jumps down.

 

Everything is in slow motion now. She feels blood oozing out of her arm, and she looks to it to find that the skin around it is black and swollen, and Zoë realizes that it must be the poison of the animal. That's why she's hazy. She figured it out.

 

Alexandria screams, and Zoë sees more blood. This time, it's on the snow.

 

Zoë shoots arrows at the monster, and she slips in the snow just to hurry to Alexandria. The monster's not growling anymore. It's dead.

 

Zoë falls, right next to Alexandria. Her eyes look dead and she's not moving. There's so much more ripped than just her clothes now.

 

Zoë's world turns white again.

 

–

 

When Zoë wakes up, she expects anything but a modern hotel room. And it's _exactly_ what she sees.

 

That, and a lot of medical supplies. Bandages, mostly.

 

She looks around. As it turns out, Zoë's on a bed. Next to her there's another one also, and Zoë takes one more look before spotting something else.

 

It's Artemis. She's sitting patiently on a bed, staring intently at Zoë.

 

Zoë wants to get up, but when she does so, she realizes it's best not to—her chest feels hideously bruised and she's not willing to take the risk of getting up again. Zoë looks down, to see that she's not wearing a shirt and that her skin now has a purple-ish color to it—around her ribs, of course.

 

Zoë looks to Artemis again. “Lady—”

 

“Everything is fine,” says Artemis. “You need not worry. You're okay. Everything is fine.”

 

There's a tone to Artemis' voice, but Zoë can't tell what it is.

 

“What happened?” Zoë asks, and she removes a piece of hair from her eyes. She rubs her arm, delicately, because although she can't place why her ribs are bruised she can remember all the blood she saw from her arm.

 

“You got poisoned by the monster. It cut your arm. After, when you fell from the hill, you bruised your ribs.”

 

Zoë nods. Slowly, at that. “Why am I not recovering fast? Did you not give me ambrosia?”

 

“We did,” says another voice, and to Zoë it sounds a lot like Phoebe's. Zoë looks to the door and finds the young girl standing there.

 

“We gave you lots. So much that we were afraid you might turn to dust. There's only so much ambrosia can do.”

 

“Ah,” Zoë's ribs are hurting again, and as much as she'd like to sit up to see, she falls back onto her bed. “Where's Alexandria?”

 

Both Artemis and Phoebe freeze.

 

It takes Zoë a moment, but she realizes why they're staying still.

 

Zoë remembers last night. Just bits and pieces, but she has a few clear memories. And one of them was Alexandria.

 

She thinks of blood. Lots of it. Not only that, but Zoë remembers Alexandria's dead body, and just having enough time to scream out in mourn before passing out from the poison.

 

Zoë doesn't want to say it, but she does. “She's dead.”

 

 _Gods make mistakes_ , Zoë thinks.

 

–

 

Phoebe's out of the room when Zoë starts crying, mostly because Artemis waves her off in a heartbeat.

 

Zoë's eyes feel puffy as she covers them with her arm. She can't hear anything, nor does she want to, because of how loud her crying is, and there's a faint glow from around her. Zoë realizes Artemis has transformed.

 

For a split second, Zoë moves her arm from her face and looks straight at Artemis. She's older now. No longer does she look twelve, but instead Artemis has taken shape as what seems like a seventeen-year-old.

 

Zoë covers her eyes again. She doesn't want to look at Artemis, or anything else, as she cries. She wants the whole world to go blank again, but it doesn't.

 

Tenderly, Artemis wraps two arms around poor Zoë. Zoë almost flinches, but she gives in to the hug and buries her head in Artemis' neck, still crying her eyes out.

 

Artemis whispers sweet words to her as Zoë sobs. It's a choked kind of cry, the kind that makes Artemis really wonder if she's the goddess of the _hunt_. It makes Artemis want to cry herself. She hates that.

 

Instead of just letting Zoë cry, Artemis lifts up her head, forcing the girl to stare up at her. Her eyes are red. She sniffs. Rows of tears are still flowing.

 

Artemis kisses Zoë.

 

Not by sympathy. Artemis isn't kissing Zoë because she knows that this will help her somehow. Artemis is kissing Zoë because she knows that she loves Zoë. And Zoë loves her back.

 

Zoë's speechless at first, but she returns the kiss. Tears are still emitting from her eyes, so she breaks apart, looping her arms around Artemis loosely.

 

Zoë now knows who will protect her.

 

–

 

When Artemis and Zoë come out of the bedroom, this time with Zoë's shirt back on (and an added bonus of a new jacket), Phoebe's waiting patiently by the front door. In her hands is a small drawing pad.

 

“The receptionist came up a while ago to ask whether or not we were going to pay. I gave her the money, so sorry if we're going to stay another day,” says Phoebe. She points to her bags to get the point across.

 

Artemis shakes her head. “No, that's alright. We're leaving right now. Zoë will just pack up the rest of her things and then we're off.”

 

Phoebe grunts in approval, returning her attention to her drawing pad.

 

Zoë's bags are leaning on the wall right next to the door. Briskly, Zoë leans up to Artemis and she pecks her on the cheek, right after walking to her things.

 

Phoebe looks up at the other girl as she's picking up her duffel bag.

 

There's a sort of unspoken connection between them. It's weird, how Zoë can tell what Phoebe's thinking right away when she makes eye contact with her. Zoë smiles. So does Phoebe.

 

–

 

Artemis hastily decides that it'd be good for all of them to use a cab instead of walk through the woods for a mile and a half, and so she calls one down.

 

Zoë is now dressed in a replaced jacket, one that has way more fur than her previous one. It's warm, and this time, she's got her gloves on—but Zoë isn't so sure that her hands would be cold without them, as Artemis is holding her hand anyways.

 

On the car ride home, Zoë's more relaxed than ever.

 

She makes idle chat with Phoebe about nonsensical things like when winter's supposed to end. She talks to Artemis about how the other hunters are doing, and what they'll be like when they all show up at camp.

 

Zoë then starts thinking about what they'll be like when they all show up _without_ Alexandria. But she quickly shakes those thoughts out of her mind.

 

Zoë realizes that Alexandria died a hero. She was doing what she did best, being a loyal hunter and a good friend.

 

Although she doesn't want to think that much right now, Zoë's mind turns to a mental image of Alexandria, happy in Elysium.

 

–

 

It's somewhere around 5 pm when the hunters get back home.

 

Audible gasps are heard, and some hunters are too busy being happy to think about what's on everyone else's mind—Alexandria.

 

Melody comes up to Zoë, still wearing that damned fur-filled jacket Zoë kind of wishes she could have. Her hands are stuffed into the jacket pockets, and she's supporting a beaming smile. Zoë can already tell that she knows Alexandria is dead.

 

“Welcome back,” Melody says, and the other hunters repeat the same thing.

 

–

 

As a surprise, for Zoë and the others, Melody devised a celebration for when they all came back. Plates of celebratory Greek food was placed in this time a fancier version of the log table, and everything looks stunning.

 

The moonlight is glistening again. Zoë knows that Artemis is doing it.

 

Phoebe's making the most of herself, as she's chatting with everyone in camp, effectively getting everyone's spirits up. Artemis and Zoë are sitting next to each other on the same log that they did before.

 

“You did well,” says Artemis. She smiles.

 

“Lady, I like to think that we all did.”

 

Messily, Zoë kisses Artemis.

 


End file.
